Novel zirconium containing mesoporous silicas for oxidation reactions in the liquid phase

Zirconium containing mesoporous silicas (Zr-MS) have been synthesized using hexadecylamine as surfactant molecule. On the basis of UV-Vis spectroscopy, it has been shown that Zr species were highly dispersed in the silica matrix and that no oxide species were occluded in the mesopores. These samples have shown very interesting properties as catalysts with hydrogen peroxide. The activities are similar to those obtained over the corresponding Ti containing samples, but selectivities are sometimes different, due to the higher acidic character of Zr containing samples.